Naya Rivera

At 33 years old, Naya Rivera has this physical status:

Naya Marie Rivera (born January 12, 1987) is an American actress and singer.

She began her career as a child actress and model, appearing in national television advertisements before landing the role of Hillary Winston on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Royal Family (1991–1992), for which she was nominated for a Young Artist Award.

Rivera gained her breakthrough role as an adult on Fox television series Glee (2009-2015), for which she received numerous awards and recognition as a result.

She was signed to Columbia Records as a solo artist in 2011 and released "Sorry" with rapper Big Sean as a member. Rivera made her debut in the horror film At the Devil's Door (2014) and recurred as Blanca on the third season of Lifetime television series Devious Maids in 2015.

TarcherPerigee: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up in 2016, she wrote an autobiography.

Early life

Naya Marie Rivera was born in Valencia, California, on January 12, 1987. She was born in Valencia and spent the majority of her life in or near Los Angeles. She was of African-American, German, and Puerto Rican descent. In the 1990s, when the word "Afro-Latinx" became common, she was often identified as such. Yolanda Previtire (née White), her mother, is a real estate agent and former model, while her father, George Rivera, worked in various IT fields, including positions at Disney and Universal Music. Rivera was close to her stepfather when she married in 1986 but she divorced in 1996; her mother remarried to Charles Previtire in 1999. Clara White, an abortion consultant and figure in the 1968 Chicago riots and who arranged demonstrations with and was represented by activist and lawyer Lloyd Barbee, was her maternal grandmother and grandmother.

Rivera did not grow up speaking Spanish at home, but later learned how to speak it. She was the oldest of three children; her younger brother, Mechal Rivera, was the former NFL tight end. Nickayla Rivera (b. 1990), and her younger sister is a runway model. 1994 (in 1994). During her parents' lifetime, the family's wealth would fluctuate greatly, with some days living comfortably and others struggling; when they were financially poor, Rivera allowed the use of some of the funds earned as a child that was frozen in her Coogan account. When Rivera was a child, the family owned a boat and went boating; she loved boating as an adult and took several trips to Lake Piru near her house, which she described as a "sanctuary."

Rivera's mother, who had moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling, was the same talent agent as her mother, who had left the area at 8 or 9 months old. Rivera was a fan of Michael Jackson from a youth and became friends with one of Jackson's nieces as a child actor on the audition circuit, visiting Neverland Ranch twice (but not with Jackson). She also met Tupac Shakur as a youth, and after finding her family at LAX, she took them over. Rivera attended Valencia High School in Santa Clarita and graduated in 2005. Her mother encouraged her to join a choir in her freshman year, but she dropped out after a few weeks because she was consistently ignoring classmate Nazanin Mandi. Mandi wanted to sing-off for a solo, but Mandi declined and Rivera was left. She had wanted to be a cheerleader but her family couldn't afford it. Rivera spent her free time at acting auditions rather than high school activities. As an infant, she suffered with anorexia, which she spoke about as an adult. Rivera referred to her high school experience as "terrible," implying at other times that part of this was her commitment to education (compared to her work), a lack of coffee served there, and bigotry.

Personal life

Rivera was a student at the University of On the way, Tahj Mowry was first seen shooting a commercial while Rivera was four years old and later working on Smart Guy in the 1990s. Tia and Tamera Mowry, a brother and nephew, remained close to Tahj and his family for many years, including assisting the sisters in finding an apartment after they were kicked out of their house and appearing on Tia Mowry at Home in 2017. Mowry wrote an Instagram tribute post on July 12, 2020, shortly after Rivera was declared missing, that he never stopped loving Rivera. Rivera co-star Mark Salling appeared on Glee between 2008 and 2010. Salling and the publicist ended in a tumultuous relationship and eventually broke up at her behest; Salling's publicist later stated that breaking up with Salling felt like "the hardest thing ever" at the time. Salling was arrested in 2015 for smoking child pornography; in her book (written before Salling's subsequent death), Rivera said she was not "completely shocked" at this, but it did take her by surprise. She then briefly dated actor Ryan Dorsey, whom she would later marry. Rivera revealed in her memoir that she had an abortion shortly afterseparating from Dorsey because she was enjoying the success of Glee; she did not inform Dorsey about the abortion until they reunited in 2014, saying she was generous and kind as she did. "[to] combat the stigma," she wrote about the abortion in her book.

Big Sean began dating in April 2013 and the pair announced their engagement in October 2013 but then broke in April 2014. In his first role on Drake's track "All Me", Big Sean rapped about her. Rivera wrote in her book that she discovered their friendship was "at the same time as the rest of the world" when Big Sean first broke the news on the internet. She begged Big Sean not to write a song about her, but he did; instead, encourage him to write "I Don't Fuck With You," the lead single from his 2015 album Dark Sky Paradise. The album debuted at number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, with the song at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100. On a 2018 episode of Lip Sync Battle, Rivera performed the song, where she was seen as shading him. Big Sean launched "No More Interviews" on Rivera in 2017, which In Touch Weekly said, "Really takes aim at Naya's neck."

Rivera revived her friendship with Ryan Dorsey and they were married in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on July 19, 2014; they did not announce their engagement or wedding until July 23. Rivera and Dorsey announced on February 15, 2015, and their son, Josey Hollis, was due to their first child. Rivera was raising Josey as bilingual in Spanish and English, and with this aim, she had enhanced her own knowledge of Spanish. After two years of marriage, she applied for divorce from Dorsey in November 2016, but she decided against it in October 2017. During this break, she was partnered with actor David Spade. Rivera was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery against Dorsey after she allegedly struck him in the head during an altercation over their child; her father-in-law later obtained her from the courthouse. She pleaded for divorce in December 2017, but the domestic battery charge was dismissed in January 2018 at the request of Dorsey, who "notified both the prosecutor and the defense counsel that he was not interested in a lawsuit and never was hurt by Ms. Rivera's conduct." Rivera and Dorsey announced their divorce on June 14, 2018, dividing joint custody of Josey, with Josey's rights extending. In March 2020, the joint custody deal was amended, requiring Rivera primary custody while insisting that Dorsey "be given frequent and meaningful custodial communication"; following Rivera's death, Dorsey was given sole custody. Rivera was in a union with former soccer player Jermaine Jones in 2020.

Rivera speculated "that she might be bisexual" during an appearance on The View in January 2015. Rosie O'Donnell spoke about a report indicating that bisexual women were more likely to have mental health issues than lesbians, to which Rivera replied: "Rosie, no wonder I'm crazy." This is just the start of it all. After her death, Esquire wrote that "Rivera never revealed her true sexuality," and Gay Times included her and character Santana on their list of "beloved LGBTQ+ characters who were not played by LGBTQ+ actors."

Rivera has notably benefited various charities, particularly for the LGBT+ community and immigrants. I Am an Immigrant, Alliance of Moms, Los Angeles Mission, Get Schooled, and Kindred Foundation are among the many groups she has donated to include GLAAD, Stand Up to Cancer, Stand Up to Cancer, The Trevor Project, The Trevor Project, The Trevor Project, The Pyramid Project, The Trevor Project, The Trevor Project, The Sunshine Foundation, The Sunshine Foundation, I Am an Immigrant, The Sunshine Foundation, The Sunshine Foundation, The Chance Project, The Sunshine Foundation, The Sunshine Foundation "I feel like [...] being involved in charity causes or giving back to the local community [is really important to do] because I feel like I am so blessed with my work and my life right now that I would like to bowl for a cause." I'm hoping to raise funds to assist those people who are in a difficult situation." Rivera's publicist, who appeared on Glee, described her as "ahead of her time" in terms of fighting violence, for equality, and for women of color, she said she wanted to use her name and her voice for good, so she could help promote a bigger cause."

Santana, Rivera's most well-known lesbian character, has also argued for LGBT+ rights off-screen. She hosted the San Francisco GLAAD Media Awards in May 2011 and later hosted the event in New York City, this time as a co-host with Glee co-star Cory Monteith. Both hosts, along with John Stamos, a guest star on the program, auctioned kisses to the audience, raising $15,000. She appeared on Trevor Live in December 2012. She performed a cover of "Silent Night" and wrote "Love Letter to the LGBTQ Community" for Billboard in 2017, thanking fans for supporting her role and reaffirming her continuing support for the LGBT group.

Rivera spent time with the Dream Foundation in Los Angeles and the Foothill AIDS Project in 2009 and performed with Amber Riley at the 10th Annual Celebration of Dreams Event for the Dream Foundation in November 2011. Rivera and other Glee characters appeared in "The Biggest Show" in October 2012, a compilation of young writers' scripts for the literacy non-profit Young Storytellers.

Alexandria House, a women's shelter in Los Angeles, was Rivera's most coveted charity, which she arranged and volunteered at during both 2019 and 2020. A GoFundMe campaign she had started for Alexandria House saw an influx of donations in her memory following her death. Rivera attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration on June 5, 2020, on what would have been Breonna Taylor's birthday. On several occasions, she has expressed her support for Black Lives Matter. Entertainment Tonight announced in August that they would be promoting some of the causes closest to the late actor to "continue [honor] Rivera's legacy." Members of the Glee cast launched Snixxmas in December 2020, raising the profile of Alexandria House, which is continuing a Christmas charity tradition that Rivera had started among their friends.

Rivera, a lifelong Democrat, appeared on Glee with the White House during the first Obama administration, as well as with Amber Riley and Darren Criss at his second inauguration. In 2016, she campaigned for voter registration with Every Votes and Rock the Vote, and performed in "You've Got to Vote" (You've Got to vote) that supported Hillary Clinton.

Rivera wrote about her faith in her book, and she was a lifelong Christian. Rivera's mother became extremely religious for a period from her childhood, and she and her brother were only allowed to listen to Christian music from the age of seven to her teens; in junior high school talent, she will perform Christian songs, which "didn't really bring the house down." Rivera or her family were unaware of her lesbian storyline on Glee, with Rivera claiming that her mother is "the most nonjudgmental, cool person." Rivera said she had always been comfortable with her faith and would return to it in difficult times throughout her career, highlighting a point in 2014 when she broke up with her in the same week as Big Sean announced that she had been dismissed from Glee in the same week.

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Career

Rivera appeared on commercials for Kmart as a child, but she first notable acting work came at the age of four in 1991, when she appeared as Hillary Winston on CBS sitcom The Royal Family. She will learn her lines by recitation and memorizing them if she could not read the scripts. This ability stayed with her because she was able to figure lines quickly and never lost track of time. Initial reviews were favorable and high ratings, but it was cancelled soon after actor Redd Foxx sustained a sudden heart attack on set, which Rivera witnessed. Rivera wrote that she and Foxx were "intergenerational BFFs from the time [they] met] and that she liked him like a grandfather. Watching Foxx die in front of her at a young age affected her for the remainder of her life, particularly around the filming season finales. Despite this, she said she "fell in love with being on television" on The Royal Family; she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her role in the series.

Rivera appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, The Jersey, Live Shot, Baywatch, Detective Guy, Even Stevens, and The Master of Disguise as a child and teen actor between 1992 and 2002. She appeared in the music video for B2K's "Why I Love You" in 2002. She made a guest appearance on The Bernie Mac Show in 2002, before returning to the show for ten episodes during its five-season run. She found that her ethnicity could both help and hinder her chances: sometimes she discovered that she would not be typecast by casting directors because she "wasn't Black enough, or Latina enough" and missed out on roles as either race or ethnicity; rather, she could play a variety of ethnic groups, broadening the roles she could audition for. She was also worried about being the "ethnic baby" because she had been chosen for modeling positions. "How does she know it's racist?" she wrote in 2016 about how she still faced bigotry in casting at this point in her career, citing the example of an audition where she was told that she didn't have the part to a white woman because "the size of [her] lips [was] distracting to male executives." I'm Hispanic and black; you can't say that.

Sure!

Rivera was portrayed as Santana Lopez, a high school cheerleader on Fox's musical comedy film Glee about a high school glee club in 2009. She applied for the opportunity to "perform, dance, and act all in the same performance," and because she was a fan of co-creator Ryan Murphy's previous work on Nip/Tuck. She drew on her own experience of dispopularity in high school to prepare for the role, as well as watching Mean Girls films to "really get into the zone and look like a bitchy sophomore." Rivera characterized her character Santana as "a bit of a bad girl" and "your typical high school cheerleader," referring to her fact that she "always has these really witty one-liners she throws out there." Rivera was "hoefully underused for a good chunk of Glee's first season," according to Rivera, although Santana was more prominent in the last nine episodes; she's the high school terror and she's going to continue to be the villain." Rivera continued to work as a nanny while watching the first three episodes of Glee, unaware that they would bring her back; Murphy was so impressed by her that he "convinced the network" to hire her at this time.

Rivera was promoted to series regular in the second half of the first season after her screen time and musical involvement increased. As the season progressed, she appeared in the fifth episode of season two, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show," for the first time. Rivera's role in the show was dramatically altered during the second season when it was revealed that she was a lesbian. Rivera played Santana in the midst of her sexuality, her passion for her best friend, and her inability to come out of the closet. Rivera discussed the evolution of this aspect of her character, noting that it was first thought up by the writers as a "funny little thing" for a quick punchline; the actress pressed for the sexuality and romance to be addressed seriously. Santana's presence received high praise for her work, and she was praised for her portrayal of the role: one feature of Rivera's legacy said, "in a landscape starving of representation, Santana was an oasis." A bold, well-rounded, humourous woman of color who was openly and unashamedly gay. "One of the main features of the entire series" was described in 2013, Santana's second season coming-out scene was described as "one of the series's signatures." Rivera was a guest mentor on The Glee Project's second season episode "Sexuality" and, in January 2011, she appeared in a "G' Thang" but not a 'G' Thang," co-written by her Glee co-writer Heather Morris. Rivera and Morris performed girlfriends and then wives on the program, but Rivera said that the pair were used to filming intimate scenes but that "all the guys wanted to visit the set." For the remainder of Rivera's life, they were close friends.

Rivera also received her first ALMA Award in 2011 as Favorite Female Music Artist; she received two more in 2012 in the category of Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy and Female Music Artist. In the latter part of season two and the beginning of season three of Glee, she received a lot of critical praise for both her acting and singing appearances. As 2011 came to an end, Santana and her family were on many "Best Of" lists, including HitFix's Best TV Characters of 2011 and MTV's Best TV Characters of the 21st Century. Santana's character in Rivera's third season was outed and began to openly acknowledge her sexuality, giving Rivera more complex and emotional storylines. Gloria Estefan, who was cast as Santana's mother, also appeared in a duet with Ricky Martin and worked with Gloria Estefan. Estefan said she used Rivera's performance as inspiration for her own, but "she" also has a heart," she said. "I already knew [Santana] was really sarcastic, but [she] also has a soul." So her mother had to be strong as nails, but with that little sarcastic edge." Rivera was "arguably the only bright spot" of the season, according to Collider when considering Emmy nominations in 2012. Although Santana had impactful talelines about her sexuality, she departed from the "popular trope" of queer characters being defined by their queerness, according to the study, "she also appears in many other storylines in the show." Santana's writers make it abundantly clear that she is a lesbian, but the article goes further than that her "strong sense of self goes beyond her ethnicity and sexuality."

Rivera was nominated by many commentators and media outlets as deserving of a nomination in 2012, and The Hollywood Reporter included her in their annual class photo of the top contenders in the various Supporting performance segments; E!, HitFix, and TV Guide were among the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards as the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced in 2012. The Television Academy nominated her to host "Countdown to the Emmys" video for the forthcoming awards ceremony, a video introduction to each year's annual event that is watched by an estimated 25 million viewers. Rivera applied for the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series category because it "was so well rounded." [Glee is] a comedy, but [she] has to show off some of the character's more interesting features.] Despite this, Rivera was not nominated for an Emmy in 2012 nor in her lifetime, with the media usually dismissing this as a joke; The Daily Beast argued that her and other celebrities were overlooked because of their appearances, while in 2020, she was given a warning at the Television Academy for years of Latin underrepresentation at the Emmys.

Rivera spent most of its fourth and fifth seasons on Glee, from 2012 to 2014. Rivera undertook other projects while working on Glee's later seasons. In May 2011, it was announced that she had signed a Columbia Records recording to produce a solo album; she said she had "been waiting for this day [she] was a little girl] and that "it's always been [her] desire to perform [her] own music." The musical pair 2Cellos debuted their second single, a tribute to Muse's "Supermassive Black Hole" with vocals by Rivera. She appeared in the song's music video as well. Rivera and 2Cellos had first met and worked together with Grant Gustin on a track that was featured on Glee, with the cellists hoping that Rivera's "sex voice" would be appropriate for their Muse cover. Rivera had been considered for Katniss Everdeen, a role she did not get, and she was later identified as Johanna Mason in the sequel Catching Fire, a part she said she "would love to play."

Rivera expressed a desire for more of her character's family to be included and for her to have more Spanish conversations to "fully embrace the culture," saying that there should be more Latin characters; when it first appeared, she said that Santana was "in limbo" and directionless. Even if she hasn't been in every episode, Vulture said that Rivera was "the best part of [the fourth season]; even though she hadn't been in every episode]; Santana's tales included breaking up with Morris' character Brittany and heading to New York City. Complex characterized her as "the most popular star on the [show]] with her own "cult-like fan base" in the summer of 2013. Following actor Cory Monteith's death, production of the fifth season of Glee was briefly postponed; Rivera was near Monteith and gave a statement that "always will be a part of [her] own family," as well as leading a moment of silence for him at the Giffon Film Festival on July 24, 2013. Santana begins a new life with Demi Lovato's character Dani before returning to Brittany, although Rivera did not appear in the season finale.

On September 17, 2013, Rivera's debut single "Sorry," starring rapper Big Sean, was released as a digital download. Although her best shows on Glee were softer ballads, she decided to write "something a little more shiny and soulful" for her own band and collaborated with her own team, including Glee drummer John Lock, rather than Columbia's proposals; she said she wrote "this is what I'm doing." Get on or get off. I think ["Sorry"] is a summer song, and I hope it will be on the radio by the end of the season. The single soared to the top of the Billboard rhythmic chart and the top ten on the iTunes download chart. However, album development was "kind of stalled" due to "too many things going on." "Politics got involved, so I've been putting it on the back burner," Rivera said. During this period, she appeared in a M&M commercial titled "Love Ballad" that aired during Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013, as the girlfriend of the anthropomorphic "Red" M&M character and a rebellious reindeer character Sparkle in the 2013 Christmas movie The Naughty List, for which she received a voice acting award.

Rivera's debut feature film, in which she starred Vera, premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 9, 2014. Nicholas McCarthy, the film's director, has characterized it as "a special kind of genre film, almost like a Rubik's Cube of a horror movie." "There wasn't much yelling," Rivera explained. This isn't a jumpy movie. On August 8, 2014, the film was released on demand, but it was also released on September 12, 2014. It continued to perform at festivals, with mixed feedback. Rivera's behavior, on the other hand, was lauded. Rivera is "the standout [and] the most natural role in the film," according to Edgar Chaput of Sound on Sight, and Film Journal's Marsha McCreadie said that the film "doesn't pick up steam until late in the story, when Rivera leads the tale." "Coming mainly from a TV background and amusement to watch," Jeremy Kibler of Diabolique magazine wrote: [...] the eye-grabbing Naya Rivera adjusts to the big screen with a smile in front of the camera. Her Vera is strong and rigid, but she is also cut with just the right amount of vulnerability."

Columbia dropped Rivera after her debut single failed, according to news outlets, but Rivera's representative released a statement that the allegations were untru, and Rivera's representative released a statement that we should pursue court action to protect Rivera's creditability. Rivera later worked on a Guillermo D'az project, directing a short film PSA about the effects of immigration on children and their parents. The Daz's part of the program focuses on young DREAMers and the fear they have of their mothers being deported, as well as Rivera's discussion of immigration in the United States. The film is very stylized, and it includes 360-degree shots. Rivera told Buzzfeed at the time that "immigration shows how beautiful America is as a country and how diverse it is [...] it's what you get when you have many cultures in a single place." [immigration] would be more of a no-brainer] if everyone believed it was sober."

Rivera portrayed Blanca Alvarez in the third season of Lifetime's drama series Devious Maids in 2015, and from 2014 to 2015, she served as a regular guest host of The View. She appeared in the final season of Glee in 2015, but she had to ask for her position to be reduced so she could concentrate on other things. She was supposed to host a few episodes of The View, but her appearances all gave the show a boost on social media; it was announced that the producers were considering "larger goals" for Rivera before she was made a more regular guest host. Rivera was the first person considered for Blanca on Devious Maids, because the producers were "very keen in having a name actress play the part"; they didn't initially think that Rivera would be interested. Brian Tanen, a showrunner, referred to the character as "pivotal." Mitchel Broussard of We Got This Covered said that she was "probably [the] most interesting] part of the season" and that her storyline "oozed the show's telenovela roots." Rivera, who had appeared on Glee, was also working on music with Gloria Estefan, and the pair did not produce anything.

Rivera wrote a book titled Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes, and Growing Up, which was something she had planned to do while hosting The View and being shocked when an audience member asked her what it was like to be a role model, implying that she was in Santana's shadow. She wanted to learn more about her personal life and choices in order to help her feel like she deserved the award. At the time of its publication, Jatt Wieselman of BuzzFeed News said that the book was important to Rivera because "he was very pregnant at the time" so it was difficult to capitalize on the show's popularity," but she could also write. Rivera decided against spending time with her son Josey, who was born in September 2015, due to the hectic lifestyle that comes with filming for television. In another film, Mad Families, she appeared in a secondary role. Three families – one white, one Latino, and one African-American – are all forced together on a camping trip, with Rivera's "peacemaker" character Felipa being involved with both the Latino and Black families. She auditioned for the role of Anita in the 2021 West Side Story's "America" album, a song and role that she had appeared on Glee.

Rivera was revealed as part of the YouTube Red cast for the YouTube Red series Step Up: High Water in 2017, starring Collette Jones, as the head teacher and dance instructor, alongside Ne-Yo and Faizon Love. Adam Shankman, the show's executive producer, had supervised Rivera in the Glee episode "The Rocky Horror Glee Show" and helped her plan for her first solo appearance in it. Rivera performed the leading role in Step Up as "a favour" to him before becoming "the mother of [the] whole cast] and the show's "North Star," according to Mr. Collette was one of the few characters to be cast, according to showrunner Holly Sorensen; Shankman called Rivera as soon as she was considered for the role, and Rivera was immediately excited. Rivera said that the show felt like home in the way making Glee did. Rivera was announced to be returning to her role in May 2020, but no date was given for its release. Rivera was "more excited than she's ever been for a season of television," Sorensen said of the new version. After Rivera's death, Deadline announced that the third season would be rewritten but "not right away" as the cast and crew took time away from work to grieve the loss.

The comic Batman: The Long Halloween was made into a two-part animated film for DC Universe Animated Original Movies, with Rivera voicing Catwoman. The first part was published on June 22, 2021, and it is dedicated in her honor.

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